


Silver, Gold and Other Precious Metals

by indiefic



Series: Through Dangers Untold and Hardships Unnumbered [2]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Christmas Story, F/M, Gen, Pepperony baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-07 06:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5446742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indiefic/pseuds/indiefic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set about six months after the end of the main Through Dangers Untold and Hardships Unnumbered timeline.  Peggy and Steve's first Christmas together as a couple.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Silver, Gold and Other Precious Metals

Steve stared down into the display case, trying to discern the differences in the various designs and prices.  There were two visually identical rings.  One, he felt, was reasonably priced, if a bit on the higher end.  Its twin had an extra zero.  Left of the decimal point.  It had to be a difference in metals, but really.  It wasn’t like the thing was made out of vibranium.

 

He was at a small boutique Sharon had recommended and he felt so incredibly out of place.  The staff were polite and they kept their distance, but the store was so quiet he could hear a pin drop.  And he was pretty sure the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling were real crystal.  All in all, this was not the caliber of jewelry store he needed.  He’d been thinking more something more economically sensible.  Sharon came to stand next to him and he looked at her.  

 

“You’re so cute,” she said.  And there was that look again, the one he hadn’t seen in awhile.  The one he got from Natasha and Sharon.  LIke he was an adorable idiot and she was shocked he could manage to cross the street by himself.  She grabbed his upper arm and pulled him down the aisle, stopping in front of another display case that sparkled so brightly he was nearly blinded.

 

“She wants a rock,” Sharon said flatly.  “I suggest studying up on the four Cs of diamonds.”

 

He frowned.  They didn’t even list the prices in this case.  That was never a good sign.  “Peggy’s very practical,” he said.

 

Sharon blinked at him and shook her head.  “Don’t cheap out on this, Dad.  She’s waited seventy years.  If you give her a simple silver band, you’re liable to find yourself extracting it from somewhere uncomfortable shortly afterward.”

 

“Sharon,” he said, “I can’t afford anything this sparkly.”

 

“What bills do you have?” she asked incredulously.

 

He frowned.  “I am _not_ a kept man,” he said sourly.  “I pay bills.”

 

“Which bills,” she pressed, eyes narrowed.

 

“The grocery bill,” he said.  “And Netflix.  And the water.”

 

She rolled her eyes.  “I mean, I get the whole Great Depression thing.  But I’m telling you that if you think you’re saving money by buying a cheap ring, I need you to understand that you will pay more, in a thousand more painful ways.”

 

Steve was saved from having to reply by a clerk.  He smiled brightly.  “Oh, are you two looking for an engagement ring?”

 

“He is,” Sharon said with a smile, “for my mother.”

 

The clerk’s smile never faltered, but Steve could tell the guy was trying to figure out if there was a joke to which he wasn’t privy.

 

Steve frowned and pointed randomly to one of the rings.  “How much is that one?”

 

“Ah, yes, lovely choice,” the clerk said, carefully removing the ring from the case.  He unfolded a square of sapphire velvet on top of the case and set the ring on it.  He looked at Steve expectantly.

 

“How much is it?” Steve repeated.  He wasn’t touching it until he knew.

 

“Ah, seventeen thousand dollars, sir.”

 

Sharon grabbed his arm again.  “Don’t have a stroke,” she said.  She shook her head and frowned at the clerk.  “Put that one away.  She wouldn’t be caught dead with that on her finger.  It’s an underwhelming stone, cushion cut, set in rhodium plated white gold.”  

 

She looked in the case and frowned, glancing up at the clerk.  “Do you know who he is?” she asked the clerk.

 

“Ah, yes, miss, I believe so,” the clerk said, smiling.  “We’ve very big fans of all the Avengers around here.”

 

“Great,” Sharon said matter of factly, “so why don’t you show us the _real_ rings.  Classy.  Nothing over the top.  Three to five carats.”

 

“Of course, miss,” he said.  “If you would follow me.”  He started toward a door and Sharon followed, her hand still clamped around Steve’s arm, dragging him along.

 

“Sharon, I can’t afford a real ring,” Steve hissed.  

 

“Hush,” she said, following the clerk through the door and into a private room with leather upholstered chairs and a velvet topped table.  She took a seat and stared at Steve until he did the same.

 

The clerk took out a tray with two dozen rings on it, all gorgeous works of art.  All with diamonds the size of the one in Pepper’s ring.  That definitely wasn’t a good sign.  Steve didn’t shop at the same places Tony shopped.  He couldn’t.  He’d barely been able to afford his sublease in Brooklyn and still buy groceries.

 

“These are all one of a kind,” the clerk said, “and we’re happy to design custom settings if that would be more to your liking.”

 

In spite of himself, Steve leaned forward.  One of the rings immediately caught his eye and he nearly touched it before pulling back his hand.

 

“Excellent choice, sir,” the clerk said.  “Flawless stones.  The central stone is four carats, oval cut.  Surrounded by six smaller stones for a total weight of 5.25 carats.  Edwardian style setting in platinum.”

 

Sharon picked up the ring and slipped it past the first knuckle of the index finger on her right hand, holding it up to the light.  It was beautiful.  Steve stared  at it.  The design itself reminded him of Peggy, though he wasn’t exactly sure why.  “Whadya think?” he asked Sharon.

 

“She’d love it,” Sharon said firmly.

 

“How much?” Steve asked.

 

“Two hundred thousand, sir.”

 

Steve thought perhaps that stroke that Sharon mentioned earlier had actually happened.  He opened his mouth, but was completely incapable of forming words.

 

Sharon narrowed her gaze at the clerk.  “Are you able to negotiate on behalf of the boutique?”

 

“I am, yes,” the clerk said.

 

Sharon looked at the ring again before slipping it off her finger and setting it back in the tray.  “You know who he is,” she said.  “And I’m assuming that while you do good business, your reputation could only be enhanced word got out that the squeakiest clean of the Avengers bought an engagement ring here for his lost love.  Trust me, it’s a fairytale romance.”

 

Steve stared at her.  The relationship between himself and Peggy was only a fairytale if you were talking Grimm rather than Disney.

 

“ _Word got out_ ,” the clerk repeated, frowning.  “I’m afraid it would have to be a bit more direct than that.”

 

“Two pictures, major media, your brand’s name specifically mentioned,” Sharon said.

 

“Done,” the clerk said.  “I’ll have the lawyers draw up the contracts.”

 

“Lovely,” Sharon said.  

 

“You can pick up the ring as soon as the contracts are signed.  Where should we have the courier deliver them?”

 

Steve listened as Sharon gave him the address for the Tower.  He still wasn’t sure he understood what happened.  Did he really just get a two hundred thousand dollar ring in exchange for two pictures?

 

When they were finally outside, he turned to Sharon.  “Did that just happen?”

 

“Yes,” she said.  “And you’re welcome.”

 

* * *

 

Steve understood that in the course of a day, he handled things that cost orders of magnitude more than this ring.  His shield, for example, was worth astronomically more.  And he threw it around like a frisbee.  So maybe it wasn’t just the cost.  Maybe it was what the ring symbolized.

 

He wasn’t nervous, necessarily.  He didn’t think Peggy had any intention of leaving him.  And she said that she would marry him, if that was what he really wanted.  But he also knew she wasn’t terribly excited at the prospect.

 

However, marriage was important to him.  And he knew it was long overdue, considering Sharon helped him pick out the ring.  And despite Peggy’s derisions about ‘pieces of paper’, Steve did think there was inherent value in taking a vow, committing to one another in front of their friends and family.  

 

“What’re you doing?” Peggy called.

 

“Looking for something,” he said lamely, looking down at the box.  He’d been carrying it around all day, trying to find a time to give it to her.  But it was one distraction after another all day, as they ran around taking care of errands ahead of the holiday party.  The party was being held at the Tower, but it was low key for a Stark event, out of consideration for the newest Stark production, who was only six weeks old - or rather, consideration for his mother.

 

“When do you want to head to the Tower?” Peggy called from the bathroom.

 

“Uh, I don’t know,” he said.  “An hour, hour and a half?”

 

As far as Steve knew, the guest list was limited to the immediate team and support staff.  Sharon and Sam would be there.  Sharon knew he was planning to ask Peggy today.  He just didn’t think it would be this late and he’d still be searching for the right moment.

 

“Seriously,” Peggy said, walking into the closet, wearing only her bra and panties, makeup half done and hair in rollers.  “What are you doing in here?”

 

He jumped and turned to face her, belatedly remembering that the box was in his hand.  He looked at it.  Peggy looked at it.

 

“Oh, God,” she said.

 

Was that good?  Bad?  He didn’t know.  Not knowing what else to do, he took her left hand and got down on one knee.  She stared down at him, eyes wide, her right hand covering her mouth.  

 

Steeling his nerves, he opened the box.  “Peggy Carter,” he said, “will you marry me?”

 

She stared at him, blinking.  A tear trickled down her cheek.

 

“Peggy?” he asked, becoming seriously concerned.

 

She nodded frantically, crying.  “Yes,” she whispered.  “Yes.”

 

He was awash with relief.  Taking the ring out of the box, he slipped it on her finger and she stared at it, holding her hand up to the light.  “Good God,” she cursed, looking at it.

 

“Is that good or bad?” he asked, rising to his feet.  “Sharon helped me pick it out.  She said you’d like it.”

 

Peggy looked at him, smiling through tears.  “I love it,” she said quietly.  She looked at it again.  “I don’t know how you afforded it.”

 

“Creative payment plan,” he said.

 

She arched an eyebrow in question.

 

“We’re going to have to do an interview for a magazine and mention the jeweler,” he said dryly.  He was not excited about this prospect.

 

She seemed relieved with the explanation and nodded again.  She looked up at him and jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him.  

 

* * *

 

A short while later, Steve rolled his head to the side and looked over at Peggy, sprawled out in their bed, wearing nothing but the ring.  It was a deeply satisfying sight.  She held up her hand and looked at it.

 

“Do you really like it?” he asked.

 

“It’s ...” she shook her head, “stunning.  Beautiful.  Perfect.”  She looked over at him.  “I can’t believe you bought it.”

 

He frowned.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“You’re cheap, darling,” she said bluntly.  “I love you, but you are.”

 

Still frowning, he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her.  “Sharon suggested that if I bought something simple, it wouldn’t go well.”  He sighed.  “I think she was pretty concerned about me screwing this up.”

 

Peggy looked at him and pressed a kiss to his forehead.  “She needn’t have worried,” she said.  “I would have said yes even if you hadn’t had a ring at all.”

 

“Well in that case,” he said, reaching for her hand.

 

“Don’t you dare,” she said, smacking his hand.  “It’s _mine_.”

 

He laughed at her.  “Yes,” he said, “it is.”

 

* * *

 

“Holy shit,” Bucky cursed, grabbing her hand.  “ _Steve_ bought you that?”

 

“Yes Steve bought it,” Peggy said, wresting her hand back.  “Who else would have bought it?”

 

“D’ya say yes?” Bucky asked, eyebrow arched.  He was leaning against the bar in the main entertaining space in Tony and Pepper’s penthouse.  Steve and Peggy had arrived a short while earlier and Bucky immediately cornered her while Natasha needed Steve’s help with some decorations.

 

Peggy looked at him incredulously again.  “Of course I said yes.”

 

Bucky held up his hands in surrender.  “Just makin’ sure,” he said.  “You’re not exactly ... traditional.”  He tossed some popcorn in his mouth, chewing quickly before he said, “Jensen sends his love, by the way.”

 

Peggy groaned, covering her eyes with her hand.  She knew that getting Bucky a job with Clay’s outfit was going to be problematic.

 

“That guy’s an idiot,” Bucky said.

 

“Yes, I’m aware,” Peggy said.  “I didn’t date him for the conversation.”

 

Bucky snorted and looked up across the room.  “Hey, Brat,” he called.  Sharon walked up and gave Bucky a hug.  He finally pulled back and said, “You see your ma’s rock?”

 

Sharon grabbed Peggy’s hand.  “He finally asked you,” she said with obvious relief.  “I thought he’d chicken out.”  She looked at Peggy, brows pinched together.  “Did you say yes?”

 

Growling, Peggy pulled her hand back again and crossed her arms over her chest.  “Of course I said yes,” she repeated.  “Why is everyone so shocked about that?  I’m wearing the ring, aren’t I?”

 

“You told him you didn’t want to get married,” Sharon said quietly.

 

“I told him I didn’t see the _need_ to get married,” Peggy corrected gently.  “Not that I didn’t want to marry him.  Of course I want to marry him.”  Peggy had no idea what to make of Sharon’s expression.  

 

“Hey,” Steve said, joining them, a conspicuous bundle cuddled to his chest.  “Look what I found.”

 

“Hey,” Sharon said, looking up at him.  “Congratulations on the engagement.”  She poked carefully at the bundle of blankets he was holding.

 

He beamed.  “Thanks.”

 

Peggy rolled her eyes, but smiled too.  “Give me that baby,” she said authoritatively.

 

Carefully, Steve handed over the newest Stark production, John Anthony Stark.  Tony had lost the war over the name, but everyone assumed that was for the best.  Peggy looked down into his squinchy little sleeping face.  He was bald as a cue ball, but had the beginnings of auburn eyebrows.  Word was that his eyes were blue, but Peggy had never actually seen his eyes open.

 

“Having second thoughts?” Bucky asked, peering at the baby suspiciously.

 

“Absolutely not,” Peggy said, cooing at the baby.  “It’s too late anyway.”  She pressed a gentle kiss to his bald little head.  

 

Peggy knew that this was quite the loaded scene for Sharon.  As Sharon well knew, Peggy had never held her as a baby. Though Peggy thought maybe there was some synchronicity in the moment.  Howard had held Sharon.  And now Peggy was holding Howard’s grandson.  Plus, it wasn’t like Sharon and Peggy could tiptoe around the issue of children for the rest of their lives.  Peggy looked at Sharon.  “Grandchildren, however, are another issue entirely.”

 

Sharon actually guffawed, throwing back the rest of her drink as she retreated across the room toward Sam.

 

“Peggy,” Steve said, frowning, “don’t rush her.”

 

“She’s seventy years old, Steve,” Peggy said dryly, “there’s no such thing as rushing at that age.”

 

He stood next to Peggy, looking down at the sleeping baby.  He gently ran the tip of his finger over his cheek and then looked across the room at Sharon and Sam.  “Do you think she wants kids?” Steve asked.

 

“I thought you didn’t want Sam anywhere near her,” Bucky said.

 

Steve made a noncommittal noise.  “Yeah, but ... grandkids.”  He looked at Bucky.  “I’d also make a fantastic godfather.”

 

“You know,” Bucky said, “if you’re in the mood to babysit, I can see if Clay needs someone to keep an eye on Jensen.”

 

Peggy lifted her foot up and slammed it down on his insole as hard as she could.  He grunted in pain and slowly hopped away toward Natasha.  Peggy had absolutely no idea what was going on with the two of them. They had a rough history together, a lot of which Bucky didn’t remember.  Bucky seemed to be trying to make amends as much as possible, though Peggy didn’t think Natasha was particularly interested.

 

“Don’t you know any other crews that could use him?” Steve asked quietly.

 

“I have several inquiries out already,” Peggy said dryly.

 

It was Pepper who eventually came looking for her son.  She looked exhausted, but also radiant.  Peggy had no idea how she managed that.  Carefully Peggy handed the baby back to his mother and Pepper slowly made her way over to one of the sofas.  Tony quickly joined her, staring down at his son with obvious pride and more than a little terror.  Peggy was struck by how much he looked like Howard in that moment.

 

Steve moved, standing behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.  For several minutes they just stood there, watching.  The tree was enormous and now, apparently, perfect since Steve had helped Natasha affix a giant red bow on one of the upper branches.  The entire team was in attendance, along with significant others.

 

“What did you do last Christmas?” Peggy asked.

 

Steve sighed.  “I volunteered for a three day op in South America.  You?”

 

She shook her head.  “I was at home.  I went to L.A. the day after Christmas, but for the day itself, I was in the apartment by myself.  I left Sharon a voicemail, but she wasn’t speaking to me.”

 

Steve’s grip tightened around her waist.  “This is better,” he said quietly, his lips resting against the shell of her ear.

 

“This is much better,” she agree.  She turned around far enough to kiss him.  

  
END STORY


End file.
